Tizen OS Shows Up On Rightware Browsermark, Appears Close To A Samsung Debut

A long and winding road for the Moblin-now-Meego-now-Tizen mobile OS may be reaching a major destination: A release into the market on Samsung smartphones. Backed by both Intel and Samsung, the Tizen OS looks like it will arriving to market on a pair of Samsung smartphones soon.

Two phones that are believed to be bearers of Linux-based Tizen, the Samsung GT-I8800 and the Samsung GT-I8805, registered Rightware Browsermark scores on Rightware’s Power Board. Neither are top of the class, although the GT-I8800 currently sits in the 9th spot in the rankings, while the GT-I8805 is at number 21.

Samsung GT-I8800 running Tizen (Credit: Tizen Greek Community)

Both are running “Tizen Browser 2”, and it’s notable that the GT-I8800 is a stock model while the GT-I8805 lists Orange as its carrier.

It’s unclear when the devices may arrive, but the fact that someone is benchmarking them is a good sign that they’ll be here soon. Presumably, Samsung will continue putting Android on the majority of its handsets, but it's intriguing that the company is exploring additional operating system options.

Samsung has previously indicated that its (partially) homegrown Tizen will likely appear on devices such as TVs and home appliances next year, so it’s possible that Samsung is looking to build its own ecosystem of connected devices running its own operating system.